The Sports Authority of Thailand and Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University issued a joint clarification after reports emerged of a deadline to pay a deposit for the petanque venue, affirming their commitment to proceed together to ensure the competition is uninterrupted.
On 6 December 2025 GMT+7, turmoil over the petanque competition venue for the 33rd SEA Games remained a hot topic after reports indicated that Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University, under royal patronage and owner of the site, set a deadline for the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) to pay a partial deposit before granting permission to use the competition area.
Previously, General Mangkon Kosintraseni, chairman of the central petanque sports committee, stated that the venue was fully ready but the 400,000–489,000 baht operational fee had yet to be paid, raising concerns over whether the site could be used in time for the test event on 8 December and the competition starting 10 December.
However, the situation clarified when Mr. Preecha Lalun, SAT deputy governor, revealed that SAT is ready to pay the full venue fee of 480,000–489,000 baht without any issues but must await a new quotation from the university to proceed with disbursement according to regulations, as previous agreements specified payment by 31 December 2025.
Further updates indicated that on 5 December 2025, SAT sent a letter to the university outlining coordination steps, venue usage requests, and confirming the payment schedule by year-end, which the university acknowledged from the start.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr. Sombat Kotsasit, president of Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University, firmly confirmed the university never demanded an advance deposit, has no policy to block or prohibit venue use, and is fully cooperating with all agencies to support the SEA Games competition.
The president said the earlier reports caused misunderstandings because the university has closely collaborated with the event organizers from the beginning and aims for everything to proceed smoothly.
At the same time, the university's venue has completed structural improvements to the roof and playing surface, leaving only administrative steps to comply with government regulations for both parties regarding venue use.
The situation is thus likely to be resolved, and the SEA Games petanque venue should be ready to open as scheduled, provided the inter-agency documentation process is completed on time.